Picking an Alcohol Treatment Program for Him (Or Yourself, for That Matter)
http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/2256/1/Picking-an-Alcohol-Treatment-Program-for-Him-Or-Yourself-for-That-Matter/Page1.html
Mary Ellen Barnes
Dr. Mary Ellen Barnes is President and Co-Founder of Y.E.S. - Your Empowering Solutions, Inc - a southern California based alternative alcohol counseling center. She is particularly interested in women's concerns regarding alcohol.
www.non12step.com
www.non12step.com
By Mary Ellen Barnes
Published on 02/21/2008
"I think my husband would do best coming to your accelerated outpatient program. But I want the SOB to suffer like I have! What's the most punitive, ninety day, residential program you know of?" Obviously there are a number of factors to consider when picking a treatment program, and some are emotional as well as practical.
"I think my husband would do best coming to your accelerated outpatient program. But I want the SOB to suffer like I have! What's the most punitive, ninety day, residential program you know of?" Obviously there are a number of factors to consider when picking a treatment program, and some are emotional as well as practical."From looking at your website and talking to you I think my husband would do best coming to your accelerated outpatient program. But I want the SOB to suffer like I have! What's the most punitive, ninety day, residential program you know of?"
Obviously there are a number of factors to consider when picking a treatment program, and some are emotional as well as practical.
People do, after all, get very tired of dealing with a drunk.
Yes, there is a range of choices, including "very punitive," and outcomes do bear some relationship to the match between the client and the facility. Decide what you want most, retribution or recovery, and proceed from there.
Residential or outpatient? That should be an easy choice.
Residential is very expensive, does little to prepare clients for a return to their real world, are rarely offers as much in the way of individual assessment, therapy and guidance than good outpatient facilities do. So unless you need a trial physical separation, isolated respite, expensive pampering, celebrity promotion, or a tax-deductible vacation, think outpatient.
Outpatient services come in a variety of forms. Here again you get to start with two basic choices: AA/12-Step based or "Other."
About 95% of all programs, residential or outpatient, are based on the so-called Minnesota or 12-Step model.
That's not, as one might hope, because it works. Mostly it doesn't. Effectiveness over the course of a year rarely exceeds ten percent. It's a popular model because it is pre-packaged – it's just a matter of charging you to work the AA program, one freely available in a zillion locations near you.
Additionally, many providers are somewhat successful adherents to the 12-Step Way who are unable to maintain their own "recovery" outside of a continuous treatment environment. Exactly how is that supposed to help you to do so?
The general point here is that if the 12-Step model appeals to you, fine. Go to AA for a while, follow the Steps, get a sponsor, walk the walk and talk the talk and see if it helps. If it does, great. You've succeeded at very little cost and with little disruption to your current life.
If it doesn't do the trick, chances are paying for more of the same isn't going to either and you can begin to look for your answers elsewhere, having eliminated most of the available program options.
If you're one of the many still looking, and you're considering non 12-Step models, here are some additional things to ask about. What is the program basis?
Good programs will have a framework that adjusts to you – not the other way around. They'll talk about assessment – strengths and interests, not just weaknesses and dependencies – and "matching," that is, matching treatment to you and your specific situation and preferences.
Do you want to moderate or abstain? Can you try moderation and switch goals if that proves impossible for you? Do you want to spend a week or thirty days or ninety days doing foundation work? Who defines "success" and how?
Research over the years has told us that "success" in treating alcohol abuse, dependence, and addiction is best achieved through the careful matching of clients to treatment methods. This includes shared goals, motivation, empathic therapeutic relationships, activity based outcomes, and a belief in personal power (indeed, the number one predictor of "relapse" is a belief in powerlessness, the number one requirement of all 12-Step programs, go figure), and a willingness to try new things.
If you want to change your behaviors, get help from counselors who don't have an iron clad route for you to follow (Week 1 – Chapter 1; Week 2 - Chapter 2; Week 3,… which sounds a lot like Week 1 - Step 1; Week 2 - Step 2…). Competent professionals fit their services to you – not you to their preordained regimen.
To review, look for flexibility, staff who listen to you and ask what you want, and who will accommodate your circumstances and needs.
Ask about success rates and avoid anyone who claims they really know – no one does. Responsibility for overcoming your alcohol related problems is ultimately yours but getting through the worst of the change will be much easier with competent help, and much harder, as well as more expensive - financially, emotionally, and psychologically - with the wrong providers. .
Select carefully, especially for yourself. You probably don't want 90 days of punitive.
Obviously there are a number of factors to consider when picking a treatment program, and some are emotional as well as practical.
People do, after all, get very tired of dealing with a drunk.
Yes, there is a range of choices, including "very punitive," and outcomes do bear some relationship to the match between the client and the facility. Decide what you want most, retribution or recovery, and proceed from there.
Residential or outpatient? That should be an easy choice.
Residential is very expensive, does little to prepare clients for a return to their real world, are rarely offers as much in the way of individual assessment, therapy and guidance than good outpatient facilities do. So unless you need a trial physical separation, isolated respite, expensive pampering, celebrity promotion, or a tax-deductible vacation, think outpatient.
Outpatient services come in a variety of forms. Here again you get to start with two basic choices: AA/12-Step based or "Other." About 95% of all programs, residential or outpatient, are based on the so-called Minnesota or 12-Step model.
That's not, as one might hope, because it works. Mostly it doesn't. Effectiveness over the course of a year rarely exceeds ten percent. It's a popular model because it is pre-packaged – it's just a matter of charging you to work the AA program, one freely available in a zillion locations near you.
Additionally, many providers are somewhat successful adherents to the 12-Step Way who are unable to maintain their own "recovery" outside of a continuous treatment environment. Exactly how is that supposed to help you to do so?
The general point here is that if the 12-Step model appeals to you, fine. Go to AA for a while, follow the Steps, get a sponsor, walk the walk and talk the talk and see if it helps. If it does, great. You've succeeded at very little cost and with little disruption to your current life.
If it doesn't do the trick, chances are paying for more of the same isn't going to either and you can begin to look for your answers elsewhere, having eliminated most of the available program options.
If you're one of the many still looking, and you're considering non 12-Step models, here are some additional things to ask about. What is the program basis?
Good programs will have a framework that adjusts to you – not the other way around. They'll talk about assessment – strengths and interests, not just weaknesses and dependencies – and "matching," that is, matching treatment to you and your specific situation and preferences.
Do you want to moderate or abstain? Can you try moderation and switch goals if that proves impossible for you? Do you want to spend a week or thirty days or ninety days doing foundation work? Who defines "success" and how?
Research over the years has told us that "success" in treating alcohol abuse, dependence, and addiction is best achieved through the careful matching of clients to treatment methods. This includes shared goals, motivation, empathic therapeutic relationships, activity based outcomes, and a belief in personal power (indeed, the number one predictor of "relapse" is a belief in powerlessness, the number one requirement of all 12-Step programs, go figure), and a willingness to try new things.
If you want to change your behaviors, get help from counselors who don't have an iron clad route for you to follow (Week 1 – Chapter 1; Week 2 - Chapter 2; Week 3,… which sounds a lot like Week 1 - Step 1; Week 2 - Step 2…). Competent professionals fit their services to you – not you to their preordained regimen.
To review, look for flexibility, staff who listen to you and ask what you want, and who will accommodate your circumstances and needs.
Ask about success rates and avoid anyone who claims they really know – no one does. Responsibility for overcoming your alcohol related problems is ultimately yours but getting through the worst of the change will be much easier with competent help, and much harder, as well as more expensive - financially, emotionally, and psychologically - with the wrong providers. .
Select carefully, especially for yourself. You probably don't want 90 days of punitive.